Blocking Policy
Blocking is the means by which an administrator prevents a user account or IP address/range from editing the wiki. Blocks are preventive rather than punitive measures used to prevent damage by dealing with vandalism and enforcing Wiki policies. Block duration may vary, depending on the severity and longevity of vandalism, but in most instances a block can be lifted if the editor agrees to stop the damaging behavior. All users may post block requests on an admin's message wall. Because of the dynamic nature of IPs, and the related risk of collateral damage, most blocks should be in the range of 24 hours to 1 month, with exceptions noted below. Only in very rare cases should non-proxy IPs be blocked for more than three months. When considering blocking, it is important to remember the axiom "Never attribute to malice what can be attributed to stupidity" — article blanking may be just a well-meant attempt to remove inaccurate information or expand the encyclopedia. Always assume good faith, but remember that the rules apply to everyone equally. Grounds for blocking #'Vandalism' – Vandalism is defined as any bad-faith edit made with the intent to lower the quality of the wiki or disrupt the functioning of the community. In most cases, users should be warned prior to blocking, though final discretion is left to the administrators. #'Spam' – Posting irrelevant spam links in articles, or creating articles which are entirely spam is grounds for an infinite block (for registered users) or a shorter-term IP block. #'Move vandalism' – Page move vandalism (moving an article to a nonsensical or inappropriate title) is grounds for immediate indefinite bans. #'Inappropriate account naming' – Creating an inappropriate account name - be it in terms of user impersonation insult, general rudeness and obscenity, is also grounds for a no-warning infinite block. Deeming a username inappropriate falls on the discretion of the blocking admin. Leave a message for the blocked user, stating the reason for the block. The editor can appeal to Wikia to have their username changed, or they can choose to create a new account under a different email address. When blocking, allow the editor to continue editing their talk page, so they can request to be unblocked when their name is changed, or so they can appeal the block. #'Disruption' – Users who disrupt the wiki (be it via changing other people's comments, making misleading edits, or harassing other users) may also be blocked. #'Copyright violations' – Users who continually post copyrighted material despite being warned should be blocked so as to prevent further violations. #'Blanking pages' – Users should typically be warned prior to being blocked for page blanking, except in extreme cases where the blanking is obviously being done with malicious intent - i.e. 4 articles blanked in one minute. #'Personal attacks ' – Users attacking other editors personally (in regards to anything) should be given one warning prior to a cool-off ban. The length of the ban is dependent on the severity of personal attacks. #'Posting personal information' – The posting of personal information regarding other people (i.e. their home address, phone number, etc.) is unacceptable, and will be enforced with blocks. Users doing so should be warned, and blocked if they continue. #'Open proxies' – Due to vandalism concerns, we do not allow editing from open proxies. When they are found, they are to be blocked indefinitely. Select the entry log "Using proxy" in the drop down menu. #'Editing only user pages and not articles' – Users that consistently edit and add to their user pages and subpages without contribution to the main article namespace will be warned and then blocked. As this is a sensitive issue, good judgement should be made pertaining to the user in question and whether or not it is likely that they will actually contribute to the main article space after a warning and a block. #'Abuse of the Wiki's file upload function' – Our policies for uploading images are clearly stated on the upload form itself and the Image Policy page which are linked from the upload form. #'Violation of consensus' – Many decisions on Animal Jam Wiki are determined by consensus. Do not violate this rule or you will be blocked. #'Sockpuppetry' – Per our sockpuppetry policy, use of multiple accounts to have multiple vanity userpages, influence votes, or evade blocks will all result in blocks being handed out. Block length guidelines With the exceptions noted above, blocks should usually progress according to the following table. Final discretion is left to the blocking admin on a case-by-case basis. When blocking a user for anything less than infinite, leave a message on their talk page, explaining the infraction. Block length may change with offense. Common vandalism and most other issues follows the sequence listed above. Users who repeated spam articles with links to external sites (especially those unrelated to the Elder Scrolls series) should receive a permanent block. Sockpuppetry, especially in instances of block evasion (the act of changing ones IP to avoid an editing block), deserves an extended duration on the initial block. This is generally discussed by the community beforehand. Probationary blocks Registered users may be placed on temporary, probationary blocks, depending on the offense. Usually, this consists of disruptive editing or "cool-downs" for editing warring. Length of a probationary block is usually 1 to 2 hours. Leave a message on the registered user's talk page, detailing the infraction and link to all relevant policy and guideline pages. Repeated instances of what caused the initial block are construed as vandalism. These users should be blocked according to the table above. Blocking IPs IP addresses usually only perform acts of vandalism once, so permanent blocks are not necessary. Blocking an IP indefinitely is unfavorable due to the fluctuation of dynamic IPs. Users may end up on a blocked IP when they have done nothing personally. Mass vandalism and spam There are instances when administrators cannot keep up with vandals. This may because a program or bot is systemically causing destruction. During situations like these, contact the Vandalism and Spam Taskforce. A note to AOL users AOL uses a shared IP system (meaning they give out the same IP addresses to several people), so if you use AOL and are blocked for vandalism you didn't commit, contact an admin for assistance. Due to the fact that many of the acts of vandalism to this wiki come from AOL IPs, we block each AOL IP that made the offense. The only way not to get blocked due to the actions of others is to switch Internet Service Providers (ISPs). If this is not an option, then just refresh your page until the block message goes away and do any major edits offline. Category:Policies Category:Policy pages